100 Greatest Phillies: 71 – Jim Konstanty

Casimir James Konstanty made his mark for the 1950 Phillies. Oh did he ever. He finished 16-7 with a 2.66 ERA that season. In relief. Yes, he had 22 saves that season, too. So, to recap, he was the important man on the mound for at least 45 games that year. That 22-save season in 1950 was by far tops in the majors, as he finished 62 games (also tops). The 74 games he pitched were then a major-league record, and in the 1950 World Series he actually started game one, despite not starting a game in the regular season. He won the 1950 Most Valuable Player award, truly defining “valuable.” Otherwise, Konstanty was an average pitcher, having a nice season in 1949 but a bunch of mediocre, league-average years after his MVP season. He also entered the league late, blossoming for too short a time.

Comment: One of a few Phillie MVPs, Konstanty was the Polish Rifle before there was a Ron Jaworski. For his immaculate 1950 campaign alone he deserves praise. He was the single greatest reason that team won the pennant.